“You don’t need to be frugal anymore,” is a common piece of advice I often get from friends and family. Though I tell them that I’m happy living this way and truly content with what I already have, they just can’t believe it. The concept is so foreign to them. “You have the money. And it’s not going to benefit you when you’re dead,” they say. “So why not enjoy it?” That’s when I have to start listing the global reasons as to why I still practice frugality (and why they should too).

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They say that the average 4-year-old laughs 300 times a day; the average 40 year old? Only 4 times. Recently, I decided to make more time for laughter. And here’s what came of it.

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As mentioned in the previous article, our experiential (present) self often dictates how we think and feel moment-to-moment. But we also have a future self which likely will view our present situation very differently. The future self also has different interests and goals, often in conflict with our present self. In a sense, many of our current world problems — even the biggies like climate change and species extinction — can be seen as a conflict between our present and future selves.  (more…)

When people ask what’s the one thing that keeps me living a happy, frugal, and balanced life, I tell them that I like to “time travel”. Just about every day I converse with my future self. Yes, I know this sounds crazy, but hear me out.

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